Lock



E. B. STONE.

LOCK. APPUCATION FILED 1AN. 26. 1920.

LSA. Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

narran stares payant orifice.

ELIVIER B. STONE, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 HARDWARE CORPORATION, OF NEW BltITAIN, CONNECTICUT,

OF CONNECTICUT.A

THE AMERICAN A CORPORATION LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.` l Patgnted De 28 1920 Application filed January 2G, 1920. Serial No. 354,066.

10 all who/m. t may concern.'

Be it known'that I, ELMER B. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing in New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Lock, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more especially to that class of locks that are provided with means to indicate some condition with respect to the inclosure secured by the lock, some need of attention or the like, and an object of my invention, among others, is to provide a lock having an indicator or signal of extremely simple construction and adapted for operation only by those having access to the inclosures secured by the lock.

One form of device embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a face view of a portion of a door frame having my improved lock applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view in cross section through a portion of the door frame with my improved lock in place thereon, the open position oi' the lock being shown in dotted outline.

Fig. 3 is a view of the rear face of my improved lock.

My invention is intended for use more particularly in connection with locks that are provided with a signal or indicator, and more especially to such a lock that is movably mounted on its support, such a lock being illustrated in my application, cojointly with Charles E. Johnson, for patent on door and lock therefor, liled May 13th, 1916, S. No. 97,316, which lock is a portable lock having a signal member operatively connected with the lock mechanism. My im-l proved lock, forming the subject matter of this application, however, is applicable to any lock that is movably attached to its support, whether portable or otherwise and the signal is arranged to be manually operated, but it is so arranged that it cannot be unintentionally or accidentally moved.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 5 indicates a door frame and 6 the door of a locker, such as are commonly composed `of sheet metal for use in gymnasiums and similar places, in the special form of installation herein shown a lock plate or base 7, of a size to extend across the crack between the door 6 and the frame 5 having a foot 8 adapted to enter a slot 9 in the door frame, sald foot having a toe 10 adapted to underlie the door frame, which structure will permit the door of the locker to be opened without removing the lock from the trame, in such case the lock being swung to one side as denoted in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, or the lock may be removed for the purpose of applying it tolock a similar door of another locker, my invention being especially intended for use m a system of lockers now in common use, which system embodies a series of large lockers intended for temporary use and a series of small lockers intended for permanent use.

The lock plate or base is preferably of dish shape and it may readily be removed by tipping it edgewise from the position shown in Fig. 2. A lock case 11 is secured to the back face oi the lock plate and within the boundaries of the dish shaped edge, said case being provided with outturned lianges 12 to receive screws or other means for securing said case to the lock plate. The doors of the large and small lockers, hereinbefore referred to, are of the same construction, except as to size, an opening 13 being provided in the door of a shape and size approximately that of the lock case 11, so that the latter may be readily passed through said opening, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in which position the lock may be secured as by means of its bolt 14, which, when thrown, passes behind the door, as shown in the figure of the drawing last referred to. It will be seen that when the lock plate is thus secured with the iiange 8 engaging behind the door frame and the plate extending -across the gap or crack between the edges of the frame and door, the latter will be so rigidly secured together that it will be impossible to spring them apart suliiciently to permit removal of the lock plate. The case 11 contains a slotted barrel 15 adapted to receive a key that may be oit' any suitable construction to operate the mechanism within the lock case, which mechanism may also be of any desired construction for the purpose of operating the -swung on its pivot.

bolt, and a further and detailed description is, therefore, omitted herein.

My improved lock, as hereinbefore stated,

is provided with means for indicating some circumstance connected With a locker or inclosure secured by said lock, this indicating means VVcomprising an indicating opening 16 formed through the lock plate and an indicator 17 movably attached to the back face of said plate in position to be moved across said opening. In the preferred form of construction this indicator is pivotally attached to the plate as by means of a pivot 18 at one end and an operating lip 19 is extended from the plate by means of which it may be The indicator is thus inclosed within the inclosure formed by the dish-shaped plate and practical and convenient access may be had to the indicator only when the lock has been operated to unlock the plate and the latter has been moved from its locked position.

It will thus be seen that the indicator can be Y practically and conveniently operated only after a door has been unlocked and after the lock has been moved from its locked position. This will enable` the indiy cator to be practically and conveniently operated only by one having authorized access to the lock by means of a key supplied therefor and there is, therefore,'no liability of the indicator being accidentally set as a signal and only as intended by the occupant of the locker 0r the attendant. The indicator may be provided with a color contrasting to that of the front face of the lock plate and be swung across the opening when set as a signal, orthe surface of the door back of the indicating opening may be colored in. which casethe indicator Vwill be swung into position to uncover said opening when set as a signal, either of said methods being employed as may be desired.

y I claim- 1. A lock structure including a base hav-V ing means for movable attachment to a support andmeans for securlng'sald base m V one position, and a manually movable indicator placed on said structure, said indicator being practically Vinoperative for movement in one direction when said structure is in one position. Y

2. A lock structure including a lock plate, means for movably attaching said -plate to a sup-port, a manually operative indicator movably attached to the back face of said plate, said indicator being practically inoperative for movement in one direction when the plate is in its closed position, andy means for securing said plate in its closed position. 3. A lock structure including a lock plate having an indicating opening therein, means for movably attaching said plate to a support, a manually operative indicator movably mounted on said plate to obstruct said opening and to be inclosed by said plate and thereby rendered practically inoperative for movement in one direction when said plate is in its closed position, and means for securing said plate in its closed position. 4.-. A lock structure including a dishshaped lock plate having an indicating opening, means tor movably attaching said plate to a support, a manually operative indicator movably mounted on the back Vace of said plate to be inclosed thereby and to obstruct saidlopening, said signal being practically inoperative for movementin one direction when so inclosed, and means for securing said plate in its closed position.

5. A portable lock structure including a base having means for removable attachment to a support and for securing said base in a closed position on its support, and a manually movable indicator placed on said support, said indicator being practically inaccessible for movement in one direction, when said structure is in its closed position. (3. A portable lock structure including a plate with means for removably attaching Y it to a support, said plate and support being so formed that each comprises a portion of the walls of an inclosing chamber when said structure is in place and in its closed Y position, and a manually movable-indicator ELMER B. sToNn.' 

